[Bone tissue engineering in clinical application : assessment of the current situation]

Treatment of severe bone defects remains a challenge in orthopaedic surgery and traumatology. Surgical techniques should provide primary stability to reach osseous integration and secondary remodeling of bone grafts and substitute materials. None of the currently available substitute materials provides osteoconduction and osteogenesis comparable to those of human allografts and autografts. To enhance osteoinductive and osteogenetic properties of these implants mesenchymal stem cells are used successfully in bone tissue engineering approaches. The aim of this report is to summarize the currently available data on bone tissue engineering and preliminary experience with a tissue engineered graft in acetabular revision surgery after loosening of a hip replacement.